Was anyone else eyeing that 81' Diesel MK1 Golf Rabbit on Marketplace?

Darkbloodmon

Darkbloodmon

Active Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2020
Location
Concord, NC
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Messaged the seller 30mins after it was listed on MP asking to check it out the following morning (my day off), He says he'll let me know since he's busy moving and doing
"things". I get off work last night about to confirm we're still on for the morning and its sold. 4 speed, 4 banger; NA diesel.

I was so pissed, if anyone has leads on it I'm still interested so long as meth isn't involved.
 
Darkbloodmon said:
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Messaged the seller 30mins after it was listed on MP asking to check it out the following morning (my day off), He says he'll let me know since he's busy moving and doing
"things". I get off work last night about to confirm we're still on for the morning and its sold. 4 speed, 4 banger; NA diesel.

I was so pissed, if anyone has leads on it I'm still interested so long as meth isn't involved.
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If you are looking for a VW diesel, I will be listing my 96 Passat in the near future.
 
Infamous1 said:
Good deals don't last, gots to be ready to jump and run!!!!
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Tell me about it. There's a 03 3500 Cummins with a bent frame up in Tobaccoville, NC. Told him 600 cash and pickup today for the Ranchhand dangling from the front. No more looking for me after this experience. I'd take the whole truck for its NV56, NP271 and early 03 HO engine but I don't have the space to put a roller and strip it down. My HOA hates me enough.
 
shelby27604 said:
If you are looking for a VW diesel, I will be listing my 96 Passat in the near future.
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Potentially, The rabbit was ideal for the size and my driveway. Our 98' 4Runner will be going up next spring. Manual? Auto? Wagon?

I was practically popping a chub thinking about doing a timing belt and clutch on that rabbit.
 
I would like to get one of the trucks from that era. No ready yet though.
 
Fwiw, I had a 91 Jetta 1.6l idi (NA, no turbo). First gear in those cars was a screamer.....2nd felt like you missed a gear.
MPG was a high of 42mpg, with 38 being the norm.....it would go on the highway, but it took a while to get there and the diesel was definitely tacked up (I think that engine redlined around 5k rpm).
 
My first car was an 82 diesel Rabbit. Beautiful beige! Diesel was cheap and could drive for weeks on $10. it was’t fast. In fact, it was slow! And your fillings would vibrate out on cold start ups. But it was a great first car for a poor 15 year old.
 
I went to Myrtle Beach for beach week in 81' w 3 friends in a 80' Rabbit. We all were about broke from buying weed money and for the motel so we took the Rabbit. I think we put $20 in the tank. I and another friend rode in the bed w suitcases, 2 coolers filled w beer and ice. We would pass beers to driver and the shotgun dude on the way. Many other peeps where heading down there too on the highways. A bunch of cars filled w girls would pass us on the highways cause the rabbit was slow w the heavy traffic. I and my friend in the bed were shirtless and we would get on our knees or stand up and squeeze our pics/nipples as they past us when the traffic slowed down. Many of the girls in cars would slow down and show us their boobs and hang out of the windows while the screamed. When we got back the tank was about 1/2 or more......good times.
 
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I had an '81 Rabbit diesel 5 speed in high school, when I was 16-17, circa 1989-1990. I drove it like a 16 yr old, and never got less than 44mpg. It would not spin a tire unless it was wet, and even then it would not spin long. A co-worker at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg had an '80 4 speed, and we agreed to race after work one night on Hwy 60, around 2am. Other people we worked with followed us out of the park in their cars, and we waited for a red light to turn green.....we were off! Side by side, and slow as hell. Everyone behind us were just bunched up - "Hey, we thought you were going to RACE!" lol, good times

During the first Gulf war, I almost panicked when diesel went up to a whopping $1.78!! But I did the math, and was still better off than friends with gas-burners at the time.

I sold the diesel Rabbit and bought a Rabbit GTi because I knew I wouldn't be able to plug in the diesel at State Farm parking lot, and it wouldn't have a chance of starting in the Boone winter without being plugged in.
 
Brud720 said:
Have you driven a Rabbit of this vintage?
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No, but there's something about boxy, bulletproof, function over form, late 70's to early 90's European cars that screams ideal daily driver. Now looking at a 92' Volvo 240 Sedan, 79' Merc 240D, and an 84' Merc 300D. The 240 Volvo would be ideal as many of those as they made and with the parts availability and interchangeability. 80's to early 00's Hondas, and Toyota's are on the table to.

To be honest I'm looking for cars to go through and flip to co-workers that I'd feel comfortable putting my parents or little sisters in. We've got drivers (AAA) that take Uber and U-hauls to work. We've just started 24hr service and we're no where near our staffing demands. My ulterior motive is networking and collation building for when I move up into management. I need to surround myself with like minded and reliable people able to support shared goals for the direction of the fleet. Selling a co-worker who goes above and beyond given their circumstance; a reliable daily driver when they have nothing leaves no small impression. Even if they don't stick around, I'd have helped someone out and helped put more options on the table for them.
 
Darkbloodmon said:
No, but there's something about boxy, bulletproof, function over form, late 70's to early 90's European cars that screams ideal daily driver. Now looking at a 92' Volvo 240 Sedan, 79' Merc 240D, and an 84' Merc 300D. The 240 Volvo would be ideal as many of those as they made and with the parts availability and interchangeability. 80's to early 00's Hondas, and Toyota's are on the table to.

To be honest I'm looking for cars to go through and flip to co-workers that I'd feel comfortable putting my parents or little sisters in. We've got drivers (AAA) that take Uber and U-hauls to work. We've just started 24hr service and we're no where near our staffing demands. My ulterior motive is networking and collation building for when I move up into management. I need to surround myself with like minded and reliable people able to support shared goals for the direction of the fleet. Selling a co-worker who goes above and beyond given their circumstance; a reliable daily driver when they have nothing leaves no small impression. Even if they don't stick around, I'd have helped someone out and helped put more options on the table for them.
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I applaud your giving back to humanity nature, more folks need that attitude these days. I had a addiction to rabbit diesels in the late 80's early 90's owned 5 I believe in that time frame. They all had electrical issues, injection pump would always leak usually around the fuel rack housing. Easy to work on if you had the knowledge and determination. I have since gotten over my addiction and moved on. Volvo's I know nothing about. Good luck in your endeavor.
 
ncpartsguy said:
I had an '81 Rabbit diesel 5 speed in high school, when I was 16-17, circa 1989-1990. I drove it like a 16 yr old, and never got less than 44mpg. It would not spin a tire unless it was wet, and even then it would not spin long. A co-worker at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg had an '80 4 speed, and we agreed to race after work one night on Hwy 60, around 2am. Other people we worked with followed us out of the park in their cars, and we waited for a red light to turn green.....we were off! Side by side, and slow as hell. Everyone behind us were just bunched up - "Hey, we thought you were going to RACE!" lol, good times

During the first Gulf war, I almost panicked when diesel went up to a whopping $1.78!! But I did the math, and was still better off than friends with gas-burners at the time.

I sold the diesel Rabbit and bought a Rabbit GTi because I knew I wouldn't be able to plug in the diesel at State Farm parking lot, and it wouldn't have a chance of starting in the Boone winter without being plugged in.
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I dated a girl about '93 that went to ASU I drove a Rabbit then 82 model beige as they all were right? Got up one Monday morning to come home about 5 degrees went down to start it. little snort of diesel crack AKA ether. Fired right up. Got home about 4 hours later and called her, She said he roommate came in right after I left and asked why I was spraying hairspray under the hood of my car. I still laugh about that till today.
 
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